Crossword Genius

A harbour was breached and flooded (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

awash

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'flooded' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'a harbour was breached' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'a' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'wash' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'and' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for awash that I've seen before include "not quite under" , "Overflowing" , "Flood" , "Flooded; about to sink" , "becomes flooded" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Mail.
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