The corvus was a Roman naval boarding device used in sea battles against Carthage during the First Punic War.

Why did the Romans use a corvus?

Corvus ("raven" or "crow"): a sort of crane, used to board an enemy ship. During the First Punic War (264-241), the Romans for the first time faced a naval power, Carthage. Fighting at sea was difficult, but the Romans employed a secret weapon, the corvus, to change a naval battle into a land battle.

What means corvus?

The name is derived from the Latin corvus meaning "raven".