Corvette, say, lacking power versus a destroyer (5)
I believe the answer is:
shiva
'destroyer' is the definition.
(Shiva is the destroyer in Hinduism)
'corvette say lacking power versus a' is the wordplay.
'corvette say' becomes 'ship' (corvette is a kind of ship).
'lacking' indicates named letters should be taken away.
'power' becomes 'p' (symbol in physics).
'versus' becomes 'v'.
'ship' with 'p' removed is 'shi'.
'shi'+'v'+'a'='SHIVA'
(Other definitions for shiva that I've seen before include "Hindu god, the destroyer" , "powerful deity" , "Destroyer goddess of Hinduism" , "Major Hindu god with third eye in middle of forehead" , "Major Hindu deity (the destroyer)" .)