Take the example of the monitor-class Nahant.  Engaged in Samuel Du Pont’s attack on the Charleston forts in April 1863, shellfire from the forts slammed against her pilot house and turret with such velocity that broken bolts ricocheted about her pilot house like bullets, killing one man and injuring two others, including her captain.  Navy surgeon Charles Stedman, aboard USS Nahant, was at his battle station below the vessel’s waterline and later recorded his observations.

Pretty soon a shot struck up, just over Severing’s head in the engineer’s store room, knocking him off his stool to his great delight, and after that, the balls and shells and bolts rattled like hail upon us and down the turret, thrown up by shot striking alongside.

“Here comes a wounded man,” cried one of the boys, and who should it be but the poor pilot.  “Open the door for another” and the old signal quartermaster was brought in with his head stove in.  “Stand by boys, make room for McCallister–g-d-we’re catching it now.”  I found that the pilot, on recovering from his swoon, was only severely bruised in the neck and shoulder, and McCallister was stunned only, but poor old Cobb, the quartermaster, who had been 30 years in the service was past surgery and died in the night.

What had the Confederate guns done to the Nahant?  Two quick hits in the same place had hurled iron splinters, broken bolts, and sheared nuts flying about the pilot house.  A 78-pound iron splinter killed the quartermaster.  Sheared nuts and bolts hit and injured other men serving the turret guns.  The Nahant broke off its attack and retired after its turret mechanism became disabled under the rebel onslaught.