Biloxi lugger, DOLORIS S, was built in 1938 by master boat-builder, Francis Brander, in Biloxi. This vessel, built for John Skrnich, Sr., was a 52-foot wooden oil screw, named for the owner’s second daughter.
In 1947, the lugger faced the devastation of the fierce hurricane that struck the area. Not wanting to lose his vessel, Capt. Skrnich boarded the vessel, untied her from the pier and rode the storm out. By steering the DOLORIS S. clear of debris and other obstacles tossed about by the storm, he was able to save her from the fate other boats faced in the dreadful storm.
The DOLORIS S. worked the Gulf waters under the direction of John Skrnich, Sr. and his son, John, Jr. until it was sold to John “Captain Bill” Cosmich, the husband of Clara Skrnich, daughter of the elder Skrnich.
Under Captain Bill’s direction, the DOLORIS S was a great contributor to the seafood industry, not only in the products harvested aboard her, but also in the education of future fishermen. The captain kept a watchful eye while training men in shrimping, fishing, and dredging oysters from the lugger. He taught them maintenance of the vessel from season to season and many of these went on to own their own vessels.
The end of DOLORIS S’s watch in Mississippi’s waters came some thirty years later with the retirement of her captain. She was sold to a fisherman and began her new life in Bayou La Batre, Alabama.
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