BREMERTON, Wash. — It was the fastest hydrofoil in the world. Now, the Fresh-1 is corroding in obscurity behind a local warehouse.

Boeing and J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding of Tacoma built the research vessel for the Navy in 1963 for about $2 million. It looked like a space capsule attached to two huge pontoons, and it could fly.

An unusual craft with an interesting story, it has been wasting away for decades. Even if it’s historically worth saving, a restoration is getting more expensive by the day. And owner Dave Symington, who turned 91 this month, has many other interests demanding his time.

“It’s another thing on my mind, and it jumps off my mind once in awhile,” he said. “I’ve got to put (the craft) somewhere else.”

The hydrofoil’s heyday was short but captivating. In the early ’60s, a Pratt and Whitney jet engine rocketed the 59-foot, 17-ton catamaran to 96.7 mph on Puget Sound, a hydrofoil record. But it could be hard to jockey. On July 18, 1963, it rolled during a trial run off Vashon Island, at 80 mph. Boeing’s pilot, co-pilot and instrument watcher escaped as water rushed into the small cabin, according to an article by William Ellsworth. They were taken to the hospital but weren’t badly hurt.

The aluminum craft was refurbished for about $500,000, completed its trials and was accepted by the Navy. Possibly influenced by the accident, the Navy shifted its focus to designing reliable 50-knot vessels and stopped pursuing 100-knot hydrofoils. The Fresh-1 saw little action after that, and was put in mothballs, though lessons learned helped with future hydrofoils.

It sat for many years in a shed at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. In 1982, the Navy sold the Fresh-1 at auction. Sam Kleinman, a Los Angeles surplus dealer, was the top bidder at $12,900.

Bremerton Mayor Gene Nelson, at the urging of Central Kitsap developer Joe Mentor, asked the Navy to donate or loan the craft to the city as a tourist attraction. Mentor told the Bremerton Sun that the Fresh-1 “would be no replacement for the Missouri when it leaves next summer (to be reactivated), but it would show that this area is in the forefront of hydrofoil development.”

But they were too late. The auction had already been advertised, and bids were coming in.

Kleinman, who dealt mainly with surplus medical equipment, planned to resell the hydrofoil, but couldn’t find a buyer. He made a deal with Nelson to allow it to be displayed near the battleship until it could be sold.

Symington, a Seattle businessman who developed the Lake Symington housing area in Central Kitsap, bought the Fresh-1. He doesn’t remember exactly when.

Anything that wasn’t removed from the Fresh-1 before it was auctioned has been stripped by kids, said Symington, but the craft looks much like it did nearly 50 years ago. The hull and cabin are intact, with the words “U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships” painted on the side. The jet engine is still there.