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USS Bronstein in 1986
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Class overview | |
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Name | Bronstein class |
Operators | |
Preceded by | Claud Jones class |
Succeeded by | Garcia class |
Built | 1961-1963 |
In service | 1963-2017 |
Completed | 2 |
Retired | 2 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Frigate |
Displacement | 2,360 tons standard, 2,960 full load |
Length | 372 ft (113 m) |
Beam | 41 ft (12 m) |
Draught | 23 ft (7.0 m) to bottom of sonar dome |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph) |
Range | 4,000 mi (6,400 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
Complement |
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Sensors and processing systems | |
Armament |
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The Bronstein-class frigates were United States Navy warships, originally laid down as ocean escorts (formerly called destroyer escorts), but were all redesignated as frigates on 30 June 1975 in the United States Navy 1975 ship reclassification and their hull designation changed from DE to FF.
The lead ship of the class was Bronstein, laid down 16 May 1961 and commissioned 15 June 1963, at Avondale Shipyards, Louisiana. A second and final ship, USS McCloy, was laid down in parallel with Bronstein.
This class comprised the second generation of post-World War II destroyer escorts. These ships can be considered developmental vessels as many new systems were installed to test for future use, such as a new hull design, larger bow-mounted AN/SQS-26AX sonar system, and ASW weaponry. This class was a new design from the keel up, incorporating the FRAM improvements, and was specifically designed to operate the DASH drone helicopter. The sonar was later upgraded to the AN/SQS-26AX(R).
The top weight of the new ASW equipment and the large bow-mounted sonar made the Bronstein frigates too slow to operate with the ASW task forces for which they had been designed. Thus the US Navy decided against any further procurement of ships of this class. The later Garcia-class frigates were given a larger power plant and greater speed.