On the morning of 4 January 1989, the was sailing toward the eastern Mediterranean Sea for a scheduled port visit to Haifa, Israel. The aircraft carrier was more than north of Libya and had aircraft operating roughly north of the country. Aircraft from the "Kennedy" included several flights of A-6 Intruders on exercises south of Crete, two pairs of F-14 Tomcats from VF-14 and VF-32 conducting combat air patrols, and an E-2 Hawkeye from VAW-126 providing airborne early warning and control. The easternmost combat air patrol station was provided by two F-14s from VF-32 with aircraft call signs "Gypsy 207" (crewed by Commander Joseph Bernard Connelly and Commander Leo F. Enwright in Bureau Number "159610") and "Gypsy 202" (crewed by Lieutenant Herman C. Cook III and Lieutenant Commander Steven Patrick Collins in Bureau Number "159437"). Although the "Kennedy" Battle Group was not operating within the contentious Gulf of Sidra and was away from Rabta, the battle group commander believed Libyan concerns about a U.S. attack increased the likelihood of a confrontation. The American air crews were given a special brief by the battle group commander which emphasized their rules of engagement due to the carrier's proximity to Libya.