 Rechristened simply "Warrington", she began government service late in 1870, and was soon pressed into service supporting the construction of the Spectacle Reef Light on Lake Huron.On one of her trips across the lake, during a late-fall storm, she encountered the schooner "Darien", which was breaking up on the shore; the "Warrington"'s crew managed to turn towards the wounded vessel and rescued her entire crew.The "Warrington" received a new boiler in 1871, and was replanked in 1878.