After an extensive shipyard period in the second half of 1964, "Saratoga" departed for the Mediterranean, arriving just before Christmas 1964. Ports visited over the next 6 months were Naples, Athens, Cannes, Valencia, Spain, Istanbul, and Malta. Another routine Med cruise was undertaken in 1966. The Med cruise from June to December 1967 was anything but routine. Immediately after entering the Med, "Saratoga" was deployed to the eastern Mediterranean during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, where her medical facility was used to treat survivors of the Israeli attack on USS "Liberty". Later on she was involved in a near collision with the cruiser , which cut across "Saratoga"s bow during flight operations. "Saratoga" had messaged indicating that she was planning to turn to starboard. This would put "Little Rock" on the outside of the turn because "Little Rock" was on the port side. As the carrier indicated she was executing her turn, "Little Rock" increased speed to maintain position. Unfortunately, "Saratoga" turned to port, putting "Little Rock" across her bow. Fortunately there was little damage and no injuries reported. During the return voyage in early December 1967, "Saratoga" spent several days in a fierce Atlantic storm, which caused heavy damage to external catwalks on the flight deck, garbage chute, and boat sponsons. She arrived in Mayport on 6 December.