Brutes rescue tar at sea (9)

I believe the answer is:

creatures

'brutes' is the definition.
(I know this)

'rescue tar at sea' is the wordplay.
'at sea' is an anagram indicator.
'rescue'+'tar'='rescuetar'
'rescuetar' with letters rearranged gives 'CREATURES'.

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.