Why early surface-to-air missiles struggled against ships

Why did early Tartar, Terrier, and Talos missiles have trouble attacking ships?

Low flight could trigger proximity fuzes on the sea, and radar guidance was limited by line of sight. Later surface modes and improved fuzing reduced those problems.

Early beam-riding and semi-active-homing air-defence missiles faced several obstacles when used against ships. A low approach could trigger the proximity fuze on the sea, while radar illumination and the horizon restricted line-of-sight engagement range. Talos used separate control arrangements that could shift its path near the target, whereas Tartar and Terrier could not solve the problem in the same way. Later surface-target modes turned off the proximity fuze and used a steeper trajectory, allowing an impact or very close miss to deliver the warhead, fragments, and burning rocket fuel. Improved fuzes could distinguish horizontal sea returns from vertical hull and superstructure returns, making near misses more dangerous to unarmoured ships. Against a properly armoured battleship, the likely effect is limited to local shock damage around the impact area rather than major structural defeat.