A huge order for ships (5)
I believe the answer is:
avast
'order for ships' is the definition.
(nautical term meaning 'stop')
'a huge' is the wordplay.
'huge' becomes 'vast' (I've seen this before).
'a'+'vast'='AVAST'
(Other definitions for avast that I've seen before include "order for tar" , "Hold fast! (naut.)" , "shout stopping the ship" , "Stop! (naut.)" , "Stop at sea" .)