How Richard Montgomery grounded and broke apart

Why did the SS Richard Montgomery sink without its explosive cargo detonating?

She grounded, flooded and broke her back without a fire, leaving part of the cargo aboard after salvage became unsafe.

The immediate cause was flooding rather than an onboard fire or detonation. A later reading of the casualty account explains that the heavily loaded Liberty ship dragged anchor, grounded in water shallower than her draft and fractured as the tide fell. Salvage crews removed cargo for several weeks before worsening hull damage forced abandonment. The inquiry also recorded failed warnings from nearby ships and questioned the anchorage assignment, making the loss more complicated than a simple error by the master.