In Britain, it means diddly. It means you're a male, presumably respectable. If you have no other title, then the overly-British will put esq. after your name on an envelope, etc. In America, I believe it's sometimes used after a lawyer's surname. However, I don't see it used much by U.S. lawyers.
Davit systems are most often used to lower an emergency lifeboat to the embarkation level to be boarded. Davits can also be used as man-overboard safety devices to retrieve personnel from the water. The lifeboat davit has falls (now made of wire, historically of manila rope) that are used to lower the lifeboat into the water.
The Titanic was originally fitted with 16 davits, each with 4 lifeboats, which was more than enough for everyone on board. The White Star Line (Ismay) ordered the removal of three lifeboats per davit, leaving only 16 lifeboats, as the line claimed the full 64 lifeboats made the ship look bad.