The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word BARQUE
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
B
A
R
Q
U
E
More clues leading to the result BARQUE
- First couple in queue to board empty vessel
- Nothing wanting in flamboyant ship
- Nothing unloaded from heavily ornamented sailing ship
- Excluding that French boat
- Outer protective covering is said to suit this ship
- Vessel‘s a part of 15, by the sound of it
- Boat made from part of tree, reportedly
- Sound exterior of oak ship
- A word from the Beagle, say, as ship?
- Bay reportedly for a sailing vessel
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "ship" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case ship = barque.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 BARQUE mean?
BARQUE noun- A sailing vessel of three or more masts, with all masts but the sternmost square-rigged, the sternmost being fore-and-aft-rigged
- Any small sailing vessel
- A sailing vessel or boat of any kind