The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word TRAFALGAR
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
T
R
A
F
A
L
G
A
R
More clues leading to the result TRAFALGAR
- Gunners waving flag held by sailor in battle
- To ridicule the French, Trump recalled battle they lost
- Battle painting artist raised, holding tattered flag
- Sailor welcomes artillery and flag waving in battle
- Sailor holding service before a large naval battle
- Scrap with the French getting wind up?
- Mariner admitting flagrant loss of trust transformed battle
- Run in front of a flag at sea secured by sailor in naval battle
- American flag abused in Turkey/Arab battle
- Air Force gal lost in pitch battle
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "naval battle" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case naval battle = trafalgar.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.