Apricots not available in sailing troop carriers? That’s a mistake (5)
I believe the answer is:
error
'that's a mistake' is the definition.
(synonyms)
I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for error that I've seen before include "Way of operating" , "heresy" , "Faulty judgement" , "Faulty judgment" , "Miscalculation" .)