Compassion shown by Yankee sailor (6)
I believe the answer is:
hearty
'sailor' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'compassion shown by yankee' is the wordplay.
'compassion' becomes 'heart' (I've seen this in another clue).
'shown by' says to put letters next to each other.
'yankee' becomes 'Y' (phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, charlie etc.).
'heart'+'y'='HEARTY'
(Other definitions for hearty that I've seen before include "Without reservation, satisfying" , "Vigorous and in good spirits, being earthy" , "sporty type" , "Jovial fellow" , "Warm, vigorous" .)