Vessel caught stern Republican in the middle (5)
I believe the answer is:
craft
'vessel' is the definition.
(I know that vessel can be written as craft)
'caught stern republican in the middle' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'caught' could be 'c' (cricket abbreviation) and 'c' is present in the answer.
'stern' could be 'aft' (similar in meaning) and 'aft' is present in the answer.
'republican' could be 'r' (abbreviation in US politics) and 'r' is found in the answer.
No letters remain.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for craft that I've seen before include "Workmanship" , "It requires special skill" , "Create" , "Art; ship" , "Occupation in which skill is needed" .)