Other Names
- LET HER BE
- CHICORA
The WARRENKO, formerly known as LET HER BE and CHICORA, had a fascinating and eventful history. Originally built as a sleek passenger steamer in Liverpool, England, in 1864, the vessel was designed to evade the Union blockade during the American Civil War. It was constructed for the Chicora Import and Export Company of Charleston, South Carolina, and played a role in supplying the Confederacy.
Measuring 221 feet in length, with a beam of 26 feet and a tonnage of 740, the Chicora had a unique design to make it less vulnerable to enemy fire. It had minimal superstructure above decks, with only the paddle boxes, two heavily raked smokestacks, two masts for auxiliary sails, and two 12-pounder guns for defense. To further conceal its true identity, the vessel was unofficially named Let Her B.
The Chicora successfully ran the blockade, transporting goods from Nassau, Bahamas, to Wilmington, North Carolina. Although it faced attacks by Union gunboats during its voyages, the steamer managed to navigate through most encounters unscathed. However, in late January 1865, as Sherman’s Union forces approached Charleston, the captain fled, and the Chicora returned to Nassau, becoming the last blockade runner to escape Charleston before its fall.
Afterward, the Chicora was taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where it spent a year in dry dock. In 1867, the vessel was purchased by a group of Great Lakes businessmen, including the Milloy family from Toronto. It was transported to Collingwood, Ontario, and underwent extensive renovations to convert it from a war freighter into a passenger-friendly ship.
The Collingwood shipyard outfitted the cabins and improved the overall appearance of the vessel. The Chicora made a trip to Lake Superior before its renovations were completed, with craftsmen joining the ship during transit to finish the work. Once finished, the Chicora had cabins on the main and upper decks, and its pilothouse was redesigned.
The Canadian government employed the Chicora to deliver mail and transport passengers, including those involved in the Métis uprising of 1870. The ship was modified in the early 1870s to accommodate increased passenger demand, with the upper deck extended and a third deck added. It continued its service until being sold to Hon. Frank Smith.
In 1874, the Chicora was selected as the official yacht for the governor-general of Canada during a western tour. However, as time passed, newer additions overshadowed the Chicora, and its popularity diminished. It was eventually sent to Kingston for refurbishment, adding a few more years to its service life. Through mergers, the Niagara Navigation Company, which owned the Chicora, became part of Canada Steamship Lines.
In 1913, the Chicora was assigned to the Toronto to Olcott Beach run, but the venture was unsuccessful. The ship was eventually moored and forgotten at its berth, sinking in 24 feet of water in 1919. It was later refloated, stripped, and converted into a barge called the WARRENKO, primarily used for transporting coal. The barge spent much of its time docked at Princess Slip in Toronto.
Ownership of the barge changed hands multiple times during the 1920s, and it ended up in Kingston. In 1938, while being towed across Kingston Harbour, it was struck by the freighter Sprucebay and sank. The barge was subsequently raised and taken to Howe Island. Its final fate was sinking in Kingston in June 1939.
The WARRENKO, formerly known as CHICORA and LET HER BE, had a storied past, from its blockade-running days during the American Civil War to its transformation into a passenger ship on the Great Lakes, and finally, its later years as a barge.
