Ship's compartment in a mess, so I help out (5,5)

I believe the answer is:

pilot house

'ship's compartment' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'mess so i help out' is the wordplay.
'mess' is an anagram indicator.
'so'+'i'+'help'+'out'='soihelpout'
'soihelpout' is an anagram of 'PILOT-HOUSE'.

'in a' acts as a link.

(Another definition for pilot house that I've seen is " ship's compartment".)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

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