305's third trip began on the evening of the 19th with 210 United States Army Air Corps troops from Lymington for "Omaha". They were beached at 1750 on the 10th. After unbeaching 305 secured alongside H.M.C.S. "LINDSAY" while waiting for the return convoy which proceeded at 1700 and arrived in the Solent the following morning, the 11th. On her third trip 305 had damaged her screws but when she returned to the Calshot collecting area it was impossible to find a dock where she could be slipped. After waiting two days she took matters into her own hands and beached herself near Calshot Castle; at low water removed a 50 gallon oil drum from the starboard screw and rope and wire from around the port screw. She came off the hard at high water next day again operationally fit.

305's fourth trip was- memorable, for early on the afternoon of the 16th she embarked at Southampton forty British Army Nursing Sisters of the 54th Group; they were the first to go to Normandy by landing craft, 305 slipped that evening with four LCT' s escorted by ML' s and a French Chasseur to ''Juno" The nurses were unloaded before noon the next morning by minor landing craft and 305 returned that evening; escorting four LCT's to Southampton, which was reached after dawn on the 18th.

Next morning 305 embarked 194 American Quartermaster's Stores personnel at Southampton and that evening the 20th disembarked them over the pierhead inside the American mulberry at Laurent. She anchored for the night in weather that was already bad and rapidly deteriorating. What happened during the storm is a separate story, which will be told below.

The LCI's work was not all one way. On the return trips they sometimes brought casualties back from the beach head when hospital ships were not conveniently available and for this purpose the LCI's were most useful. LCI's brought back merchant seamen from the ships which were sunk to form craft shelters off the beaches and altogether about 500 personnel came back to England in Canadian LCI's.

Even on the assault landings the landing craft casualties from weather damage had far exceeded those from enemy action; in fact, an early report from the Allied Naval Commander-in-Chief (Situation report 14, part 2, of 10th June) put the proportion of loss and damage among LCI's and minor landing craft from weather at 75% of the total. The same report stated. that while LST losses were lighter than had been expected major and minor landing craft losses were heavier. This generalization naturally applied still more to the build-up period, although the enemy reacted on several nights with E-boat sorties against the channels leading to the assault area, and in the assault area itself mines took a steady toll of ships but damaged few landing craft.