Crossword Genius

Sank hull of icebreaker in sea (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

mired

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'sank' is the definition.
(sank in mud or mire)

'hull of icebreaker in sea' is the wordplay.
'hull of icebreaker in' becomes 'mi' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'sea' becomes 'red' (the Red Sea).
'mi'+'red'='MIRED'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for mired that I've seen before include "Stuck in the mud" , "covered in muck" , "Sunk in deep mud" , "Bogged down" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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