Early in the evening of 23 November SS Adabelle Lykes, en route from Shanghai to San Francisco with 2000 service men and women embarked, discovered a case of smallpox aboard.
Her supply of vaccine would not suffice to inoculate all the 2000 men and women aboard.
A call for help went out to the naval forces in the area.
Four destroyers lay in the harbor at Adak, the nearest base to the position of Adabelle Lykes.
One had a mission already assigned, the others were undergoing long deferred repairs.
Of these, Gleaves, reported that she could have all vital equipment ready in three hours.
At 02:30 on 24 November, she left her berth and sped on her way at 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph).

At 13:00 on 25 November, her radar detected Adabelle Lykes and by 14:00 a line was passed between the two ships which were heaving and tossing in the stormy seas.
The vaccine and a supply of penicillin for the stricken men went aboard.

Her duty in the North Pacific terminated, Gleaves transported 300 veterans from the Aleutian Islands to Seattle, Washington, on "Magic-Carpet" duty, arriving 10 December 1945.
She then moved to San Francisco and on 2 January 1946 departed for Charleston, South Carolina At Charleston, where she arrived 18 January 1946, Gleaves decommissioned 8 May 1946, and was placed in reserve at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania She was later moved to the Reserve Fleet at Orange, Texas, where she remained through 1967.
Gleaves was stricken from the naval register on 1 November 1969 and sold 29 June 1972 and broken up for scrap.
Early in the evening of 23 November SS Adabelle Lykes, en route from Shanghai to San Francisco with 2000 service men and women embarked, discovered a case of smallpox aboard. Her supply of vaccine would not suffice to inoculate all the 2000 men and women aboard. A call for help went out to the naval forces in the area. Four destroyers lay in the harbor at Adak, the nearest base to the position of Adabelle Lykes. One had a mission already assigned, the others were undergoing long deferred repairs. Of these, Gleaves, reported that she could have all vital equipment ready in three hours. At 02:30 on 24 November, she left her berth and sped on her way at 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph).
At 13:00 on 25 November, her radar detected Adabelle Lykes and by 14:00 a line was passed between the two ships which were heaving and tossing in the stormy seas. The vaccine and a supply of penicillin for the stricken men went aboard.
Her duty in the North Pacific terminated, Gleaves transported 300 veterans from the Aleutian Islands to Seattle, Washington, on "Magic-Carpet" duty, arriving 10 December 1945. She then moved to San Francisco and on 2 January 1946 departed for Charleston, South Carolina At Charleston, where she arrived 18 January 1946, Gleaves decommissioned 8 May 1946, and was placed in reserve at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania She was later moved to the Reserve Fleet at Orange, Texas, where she remained through 1967. Gleaves was stricken from the naval register on 1 November 1969 and sold 29 June 1972 and broken up for scrap.
USS Gleaves (DD-423)