Launching Appliance

The launching appliance on a ship is the apparatus that enables the safe and speedy transfer of a rescue boat or lifeboat from the vessel to the water. In shipping terms, there are two main types of launching methods: free-fall and davit-type. As the name suggests, a davit launch uses a davit to lower the boat into the water with the hooks and lines being released by the boat upon reaching the water. Launching appliances are part of the group of life saving appliances.