The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word BOATSWAIN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
B
O
A
T
S
W
A
I
N
More clues leading to the result BOATSWAIN
- Petty officer stole this empty wagon
- Foreman on board, I was not AB? Possibly
- I wasn’t upset by snake, being a naval officer
- Final in African country’s brought forward, accommodating one crew member
- Petty officer stole two shillings taken aboard
- Awkwardly sat in bow clutching a sailor
- Officer orders: ‘Stow a bit of ammunition in box’
- Crew leader sat in bow disturbed surrounding area
- Sailor saw a bit on travelling
- Was I not AB at sea? Yes I was
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Crew leader" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case crew leader = boatswain.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does BOATSWAIN mean?
BOATSWAIN noun- The officer (or warrant officer) in charge of sails, rigging, anchors, cables etc. and all work on deck of a sailing ship.
- The petty officer of a merchant ship who controls the work of other seamen.
- A kind of gull, the jaeger.
- The tropicbird.