Bronstein-class (FF-1037)

The Bronstein class consisted of two United States Navy warships constructed between 1961 and 1963. Representing the second generation of post-World War II destroyer escorts, the class followed the Claud Jones class and preceded the Garcia class. Both vessels, USS Bronstein and USS McCloy, were built by Avondale Shipyards in Louisiana. Originally designated as ocean escorts, the ships were reclassified as frigates on June 30, 1975.

The class functioned as a developmental platform for several naval systems. The hull was designed to incorporate improvements from the Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) program and was the first class configured to operate the DASH drone helicopter. Primary sensors included a bow-mounted sonar system, which was later upgraded, and trials were conducted with a Towed Array Sonar System (TASS) during the 1970s. On USS McCloy, a TASS installation replaced one of the gun mounts. The weight of the anti-submarine warfare equipment and the sonar dome resulted in operational speeds that the US Navy determined were insufficient for the ships' intended role within anti-submarine task forces. Due to these performance limitations, the US Navy transitioned to the Garcia class for subsequent production.

USS Bronstein was assigned to the US Pacific Fleet, while USS McCloy served in the US Atlantic Fleet. In the late 1980s, USS McCloy conducted counter-narcotics operations, including an engagement with a sea-going tug that resulted in the seizure of 49.5 tons of marijuana. The ship also participated in the rescue of the crew of the submarine USS Bonefish following a battery compartment fire and performed the subsequent tow of the submarine to Charleston, South Carolina. Both frigates were decommissioned and stricken from the US Navy in December 1990. In October 1993, the vessels were sold to the Mexican Navy, where they were renamed Hermenegildo Galeana and Nicolas Bravo. The ships continued in service until 2017.