In a davit that is operatively mounted on a generally horizontal surface of a marine vessel, adjacent an edge thereof, and operatively projected relatively outboard from the edge to raise and lower an object between positions relatively above and below the surface, said object having one laterally oriented side thereof adapted to be accommodated within an indentation in the peripheral outline of the davit, when the object is raised to a predetermined level above the surface of the vessel and suspended from the davit in a generally horizontal disposition with the one laterally oriented side thereof oriented toward the davit,
- an elongated arm structure, a base for supporting the arm structure on the surface of the vessel to pivot about an arc in the vertical plane coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the arm structure, a stop for defining one end of the arc of pivotal movement of the arm structure in the aforesaid vertical plane of the longitudinal axis thereof, and a bridle which is operable when the arm structure is at the one end of the arc, to suspend the object from the arm structure at the aforesaid level above the surface of the vessel, and in a generally horizontal disposition in which the one laterally oriented side of the object is oriented toward the arm structure transverse the plane of pivotal movement of the arm structure,
- the arm structure having a pair of first and second sections in the body thereof, which are relatively tandemly arranged along the length of the arm structure and disposed adjacent the opposing ends of the arm structure, with a juncture therebetween intermediate the ends of the arm structure,
- the first body section being disposed adjacent one end of the arm structure, and the one end portion of the arm structure being pivotally connected to the base so that the first body section is pivotally about a generally horizontal axis transverse the aforesaid vertical plane of the longitudinal axis of the arm structure,
- the stop being operatively disposed to limit the pivotal travel of the first body section to a relatively retracted position in which the first body section coincides with the perpendicular interconnecting the stop with the horizontal axis at one side of the vertical plane coinciding with the horizontal axis,
- the first body section having a relatively concave swale therein, the mouth of which is oriented to the other side of the vertical plane of the horizontal axis, and the recess of which is disposed within the peripheral outline of the arm structure to lie substantially entirely on the one side of the vertical plane of the horizontal axis and form the indentation in the peripheral outline of the davit when the first body section of the arm structure is disposed in the relatively retracted position thereof,
- the second body section being cantilevered relatively rigidly outwardly from the first body section at the juncture between the respective body sections, so that the second body section extends outwardly from the first body section substantially along a line of projection that forms an acute angle with the perpendicular interconnecting the stop with the horizontal axis, and projects to the other side of the vertical plane of the horizontal axis from the one side thereof to the extent that the other end of the arm structure is disposed on the other side of the vertical plane of the horizontal axis when the first body section is in the relatively retracted position thereof, and
- the bridle being suspended from the other end portion of the arm structure at a point in the plane of pivotal movement thereof sufficiently spaced apart from the horizontal axis that the aforesaid one laterally oriented side of the object remains spaced apart from the vertical plane of the horizontal axis and on the other side thereof, when the object is suspended on the bridle at the aforesaid level and in the aforesaid disposition, and the first body section is pivoted in an arc about the horizontal axis between positions in which the line of projection of the second body section coincides with a horizontal in the plane of pivotal movement, and inclines to the same at angles therebelow, respectively, but the aforesaid one laterally oriented side of the object crosses the vertical plane of the horizontal axis and alternately advances within and retracts from the recess of the swale in the first body section when the first body section is pivoted in the arc about the horizontal axis between positions in which the line of projection of the second body section coincides with the aforesaid horizontal in the plane of pivotal movement, and inclines to the same at angles thereabove, respectively.