I was a Machinist Mate (MM) in the US Navy, stationed on a steam powered Destroyer in the early 70s. The speed (US ships of that era) was controlled in the engine room. The MMs do this by turning a large wheel that opens or closes the main steam valve to the turbine engines. The steam was superheated and was used to power generators/pumps/turbines located in the engine room. We were told to use a broom stick to find steam leaks. Thankfully no one I know of ever had to do it.
Just to add to the volume already in the link, I served in the Navy from the 70’s thru the 90’s as a Machinist Mate in the engine room. We were taught to check for steam leaks with a broom ( or other relatively “soft” object) to protect ourselves from verifying this particular question. Hope this helps.
Great, so none of the MMs & BTs bothered to tell the EMs how to avoid getting par boiled by a steam leak. Nice guys, I thought we were all fellow snipes. 
Jim
Sorry, unless you got “greased”, you’re a mere fresh air snipe. Important information such as this is reserved for us hole snipes.
OTOH, if you did get greased, welcome to the brotherhood, and where the hell were you on the How not to get the shit burned out of yourself in the engineroom class day? Probably off replacing the batteries in the sound-powered phones. 
Rhubarb - Charter member of Fraternal Order of Packing Pullers, Local #OU812. Motto - “A packing puller in the hand is worth two in the valve.” 
No, I looking for some Gig Line to lower a bucket of steam down to the Bowling alleys. We let the IT boots change the batteries in the sound-powered phones.
I never got greased, so despite my work in the main space, I was definitely a Fresh-Air Snipe.
Jim {EM3}
This leak detection proceedure was told to me by a WWII vetrean engine room seaman who served in the south pacific aboard vessels utilizing superheated steam for power and propultion. One story related was that at that time his responsibilities was “Oil Can”. His captain even introduced him to General McCarthur for his successful efforts to keep the ship stabilized by transfering fuels and ballast after the ship was hit by a torpedo. He eventually became a chemist and US Air Force Fuels Operations Officer. This friend is now approximately 80.
As mentioned, the primary hazard was scalding burns from sudden steam leaks in enclosed spaces. The intent of utilizing the boom handle was to locate the leak without causing damage to human limbs. He never stated the leaking steam would actually cut the broom handle. As one commenter previously noted, in one test, the wood handle was not cut but severly burned.
Regarding the use of using water jets to cut steel, I worked with this gentleman and his terminal engineers and managers. I was not present but a contractor in the early 1990s used the method to cut a 36" diamater “Manway Hole” into the side of a 1980 vintage steel gasoline tank. The steel was between 3/8 " and 7/16" thick. Only water was used as the fire hazard was high due to gasoline stored in adjoning tanks and we did not want sand to contaminate the interior of the tank being cut…
into that space up the ladder by the hatch.
When I was just a wee apprentice marine machinist on the West Coast back in the 70s, I was also taught the “broom method” of exiting a space where HP steam was leaking.
Superheated steam is invisible near the source of the leak. It will expand, I was told, some unknown distance from the leak and become visible.
I was told it would fill a compartment in seconds and you’d be groping around blind until the leak was secured.
I was once in a compartment where a 600# relief valve lifted, and I can tell you it filled that sizeable compartment in half a second with dense hot fog. Because it was invisible, we were told to use a broom to probe ahead as we located the exit from the compartment.
I too, worked on board Ranger, and Midway, Oriskany, Coral Sea, Hancock among others. What elegant machines they were. Very inefficient, but elegant nonetheless.
But the original question was, “Can high-pressure steam cut a body in half?”
Depends on the size of the leak, doesn’t it? A blown out strainer will destroy everything in the compartment, people and all. Would look like a bomb going off in a meat processing plant. Ugh.
A tiny leak from a packing gland–not so much.
What years on the Ranger? I was 85 to 88.
I know it’s been 10 years, but since we are here: Royal Navy Diction & Slang
“Whistling in a warship has always been strongly discouraged and as late as
1910 was a punishable offence in Training Establishments. The reason is
fairly obvious - in the old days not only were all orders passed by means of
a bosun’s pipe (or whistle) and so whistling could lead to confusion, but
also was a superstition that whistling brought wind which was not always
welcome.”
FWIW, At those pressures, the “water” would cavitate (boil) at the nozzle exit, and you would get pitting / erosion / cavitation. The distance the bubbles travel, and the behaviour of the bubbles, depends on the nossle design. You get maximum errosion when the bubbles are collapsing at a surface:
"Most metals and alloys can be affected, particularly soft materials (e.g. copper, lead, etc.) or those whose corrosion resistance depends on the existence of a surface film (aluminium, stainless steels). " Erosion and cavitation corrosion