Why San Carlos Water frustrated Exocet targeting

Michael Clapp's maxim that rock beats missile offers a way to understand the siting problem. San Carlos Water placed the amphibious force among steep landforms that made a clean radar lock difficult for an incoming Exocet. The anecdote turns Buccaneer-observer experience into an operational lesson about using geography as part of fleet air and missile defense. Positioning and terrain can protect a fleet alongside weapons and electronic systems.