I'm not going to play "Arm chair expert", but I will say that a ship has a couple of mortal enemies; storms and land.
Number one rule is keep plenty of water under your keel.And, as Lindseys Law says, "When your draft exceeds the depth of the water, you are most assuredly aground."

Last, I spent most of my adult life at sea and some in the position of Captain. For a Captain to abandon ship with so many people still aboard is just not done. That shame will follow him all his life. And, it doesn't matter if he was totally innocent of causing the wreck. The Captain is responsible for everything that happens aboard.

As Captain Ahab said, "There is only one God in heaven, and only one God aboard the Pequod."