Crossword Genius

Gang gets work on ship in the east (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

posse

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'gang' is the definition.
(I know that posse is a type of gang)

'work on ship in the east' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'ship' could be 'ss' (prefix in ship names eg SS Great Britain) and 'ss' is located in the answer.
'east' could be 'e' (synonyms) and 'e' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'po' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'gets' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for posse that I've seen before include "Body of constables" , "Gang" , "Group temporarily established for some purpose" , "Law-enforcers" , "Group aiding lawman" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
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