Skill before the days of iron ships (9)
I believe the answer is:
woodcraft
'skill' is the definition.
(I know that woodcraft is a type of craft)
'the days of iron ships' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is located in the answer.
'days' could be 'd' (abbreviation for days) and 'd' is found in the answer.
'of' could be 'o' and 'o' is found within the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'before' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for woodcraft that I've seen before include "Carpenter's art?" , "Skill in camping and related pursuits -- card of two (anag)" .)