ABOARD THE FORT WORTH — A blown fuse in a communications system meant the Navy helicopter had to find the Fort Worth, the U.S. fleet’s newest littoral combat ship, by sight in the ocean off San Diego on Wednesday.

The helicopter passed over a destroyer, a big, bulky warship, all squared-off angles. Nope, not that one.

When the helicopter found the Fort Worth, it was obvious at a glance that the small, sleek ship was a different creature all together.

The Fort Worth, the third in the Navy’s new littoral combat ship line, is bound for San Diego, its new home port. The ship is scheduled to sail past Ballast Point and into the bay, arriving at its San Diego Naval Base pier at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

The core crew of 40 sailors — the result of a concept called “minimal manning” — has taken custody of the vessel from a Wisconsin shipyard and delivered it to San Diego in roughly four months. The ship stopped in Galveston, Texas, for commissioning on Sept. 22 before heading through the Panama Canal en route to its new home.

On the flight deck Wednesday evening, against a pink sunset sky, the skipper told the assembled crew that he thought it had to be a record.

“You guys have really done something special,” Cmdr. Randy Blankenship said.

The Navy is still finding its way with the controversial littoral ship class, just as Fort Worth’s occupants had to learn to be “hybrid” sailors on the trip from Wisconsin.

Because of the small crew, each member does his or her assigned job and also helps out with three or four other tasks, such as securing a helicopter when it lands or acting as a rescue swimmer.

The Navy has faced criticism about the small crew size and many other aspects of this groundbreaking vessel.

The first two ships in the line — the Freedom and Independence, both based in San Diego — came in at three times over budget and experienced early problems with cracks and corrosion. Some analysts say the ships don’t have enough firepower and can’t survive a fight.

The Navy staunchly defends the ship class, saying its speed and nimbleness are needed for close-to-shore patrolling.

As the ship arrives in San Diego today, naval officials are betting on the Fort Worth to show that the lessons of the first two littoral vessels were learned, and heeded.