The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 12 letter word PENNSYLVANIA
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
P
E
N
N
S
Y
L
V
A
N
I
A
More clues leading to the result PENNSYLVANIA
- Navy in Naples restored State
- Writer in navy, also briefly drunk, a state!
- Actors Sean and Ms Kristel taking in a northern state
- I’ve pals upset with nanny state
- Planes in navy crashed somewhere in USA
- Navy planes in dilapidated state
- Navy planes in sorry state
- Writer’s new series reportedly suffering — worthless organ in a 22?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "a state" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case a state = pennsylvania.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.