To reduce the number of landing craft needed for large operations like D-Day, they would typically attempt to return to pick up more loads of troops or cargo. Some of these returning craft would carry wounded men to hospital ships offshore. That said, most of these craft would return empty.

As a landing craft went in to the beach, it would typically drop a kedge anchor from the stern. This had two main functions. Firstly, it kept the craft perpendicular to the beach. Alec Guinness (more famous as an actor) commanded an LCI(L) during the invasion of Sicily. The anchor cable on his craft was cut by a passing ship, allowing the LCI to drift diagonally onto the beach, making things rather awkward for the disembarking troops and for the crew - it took ten days until the craft was pulled off the beach. Secondly, it allowed the craft to pull itself off the beach, so it could head back out to sea, though this could also be done with the craft's own engines.

Landing craft were not operated by a single man. The LCVP or Higgins Boat had a crew of 3 in British service, while the British equivalent, the LCA, had a four-man crew. Tank landing craft had a crew of between 6-12, while larger infantry landing craft had crews of 20-30. Should the coxswain (the person operating the controls) be killed or wounded, another member of the crew could take his place. If the craft was unable to withdraw from the beach, thanks to damage or high seas, then the remaining crew had to seek shelter on the beach. They might be able to find another undamaged landing craft to take them back to their mothership, or they could join the shore party, the naval group coordinating activities on the beach.