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DAVIT
DAVIT, (minot, Fr.) a long beam of timber, represented by a, a, plate II. fig. 29. and used as a crane, whereby to hoist the flukes of the anchor to the top of the bow, without injuring the planks of the ship's side as it ascends; an operation which by mariners is called fishing the anchor. The anchors being situated on both the bows, the davit may be occasionally shifted so as to project over either side of the ship, according to the polition of that anchor on which it is to be employed. The inner-end of the davit is secured by being thrust into a square ring of iron b, which is bolted to the deck, and fore-locked under the beams. This ring, which is called the span-shackle, exhibited at large by fig. 34. is fixed exactly in the middle of the deck, and close behind the fore-mast. Upon the outer-end of the davit is hung a large block c, through which a strong rope traverses, called the fish-pendent d, to whose foremost end is fitted a large iron hook e, and to it's after end a tackle or complication of pullies f, the former of which is called the fish-hook, and the latter the fish-tackle.The davit therefore, according to the sea-phrase, is employed to fish the anchor, which being previously catted, the fish-hook is fastened upon it's flukes; and the effort of the tackle, being transmitted to the hook by means of the fish-pendent, draws up that part of the anchor sufficiently high upon the bow to fasten it, which is done by the Shank-painter. See that article.
There is also a davit of a smaller kind, occasionally fixed in the longboat, and employed to weigh the anchor therein.
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© Derived from Thomas Cadell's new corrected edition, London: 1780, page 95, 2003
Prepared by Paul Turnbull
http://southseas.nla.gov.au/refs/falc/0408.html