Like the other groups of LCI's the 264th Flotilla had to wait some time before being ordered to beach. At 0940 the LCI's had arrived at their waiting position off "Jig Green" each, about two miles east of Arromanches. The tide was already falling when, at 1150, the LCI's were ordered. to beach on "Jig Red" by the Reserve Group Commander in H.M.S. "ALBRIGHTON" because the obstructions on "Jig Green" were almost impenetrable. They beached in precise flotilla, formation, in line abreast, within five seconds of each other at 1159, nearly two hours after their scheduled time according to the operation plans.

It had been the intention to provide LCM's for off loading troops from LCI's to the very shallow beaches of "Gold" area but there was such a shortage of ferry craft owing to the large number of casualties among the minor landing craft on the assault that no LCM's were available for the Flotilla as a whole. In the special case of LCI 255 carrying the Squadron Commander, Cmdr. T. Ellis, R.N. (Captain - Group G4), Brigadier E. C. Pepper (Cmdr. of the 56th Infantry Brigade which the rest of the Flotilla was lifting) and their staffs with signals equipment, an LCM was allocated to facilitate the safe disembarkation of the Headquarters Unit; LCI 255 therefore did not beach.

On the beach the L.C.M.'s had good reason to know why it had been planned to disembark troops by L.C.M.'s if possible. There was a heavy surf running which piled up dangerously on the shallow beach across which the troops had to make their way. Although the distance from the L.C.I.'s to shore averaged only 12 feet and the depth of water at the ramps was less than 3 feet, the surf caused some of the troops to hesitate up to 15 minutes before disembarking. The delay made unbeaching more difficult, but there was hardly any firing by this time and it was not until after unbeaching that bullet holes were found in the super-structure of two of the craft. No casualties were suffered by army or navy personnel during the landing.

The L.C,I.'s were, however, not undamaged. Since they had beached at the height of the tide, they had ridden over not only most of the obstacles but also over some of the minor landing craft wrecks which were impaled on them from earlier landings that morning. L.C.I. 295's propellors were damaged on an L.C.M. and she was holed in two places forward by beach obstructions. L.C.I. 288 suffered underwater damage from beach obstructions and both 288 and 302 lost ramps in the surf. 302 and 310's kedges were fouled by obstructions and wrecks but all except these two Canadian craft were able to get off the beach in spite of the ebbing tide. The three American L.C.I.' s 511, 400 and 421, who belonged to the same beaching group were heavier mark 2 type L.C.I.'s and they were not able to unbeach until high water in the late afternoon when they got off with 302 and 310. The precise trim of the Canadian L.C.I. 's was undoubtedly the major factor permitting them to get well on to the beach and yet enabling four of them to unbeach on a falling tide. The trim had been very carefully adjusted by using ballast and fuel tanks so that the flat bottoms of the L. C. I, s would form a line exactly parallel to the slope of the beach at the point where it was intended they should touch down. Their draft with troops aboard was trimmed to 4' 2" forward and 5' 3" aft.