Davit

A davit (/ˈdeɪvɪt/)[1] is any of various crane-like devices used on a ship for supporting, raising, and lowering equipment such as boats and anchors.

[2] Davit systems are most often used to lower an emergency lifeboat to the embarkation level to be boarded.

[3] Davits can also be used as man-overboard safety devices to retrieve personnel from the water.

The maintaining and operation of davits is all under jurisdiction of the International Maritime Organization.

They began to be introduced into Royal Navy warships in the late 18th-century and originally took the form of squared baulks of timber.