Davit

A davit is any of several crane-like devices fitted to a ship for raising, lowering and supporting equipment such as lifeboats and anchors, most often used to lower lifeboats to the waterline for an evacuation, with wire cables called falls, historically manila rope, controlling the descent, and a davit can also serve to recover a person from the water. Davits were first devised in the seventeenth century for whaling ships working the Greenland whaling grounds, entered Royal Navy service in the late eighteenth century built from squared timber beams, and moved to iron construction later in the nineteenth century. Modern davits are built from aluminum, steel or carbon fiber for a better strength to weight ratio, and their maintenance and operation are regulated worldwide by the International Maritime Organization.