some drilling rigs offshore were built on platforms too small to hold the components necessary for all drilling operation needs, including crew living quarters. They'd use an old salvaged ship to supply this extra space, called a "tender"(as it tended the rig), and moored with cables, to pylons on the bottom. Attaching the tender to the platform was a large piece, having a long dumpster like tub for laying and picking up drill pipe etc, as it was moved from the tender, when needed on the platform, and a walkway beside it. That piece swiveled and rocked as the tender rose and fell with the waves, and was also called the "widomaker". As long as the waves weren't more than 6 or 8 feet, the swivel action of the widowmaker was good, but over that it was separated and raised up away from the ship, and a long rope ladder was tossed over to accommodate foot traffic between the two. This was where it got it's name, those not used to making this crossing could be climbing down the rope ladder, see the ship close enough to step onto, but before they stepped off, the ship dropped maybe 15 or 20 feet, leaving them hanging on to nothing but thin air, and dropping to meet the ship, on it's way back up to meet them. Thankfully i never experienced that first hand