The biggest issue with bulkers is that they have very large open non baffled cargo holds, which if you get water into naturally sinks it.
The other side to it is the loading and discharging which causes sagging in the hull which stresses the keel and over time weakens it, generally its why you don't tend to see many old bulkers (average age of the worlds fleet is about 11 years old)
Derbyshire was sunk mainly by weather, same as Edmund Fitzgerald, Marine Electric was a combination of weather and negligence in terms of maintenance
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