Crossword Genius

Speed of ships west of promontory (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

fleetness

'speed' is the definition.
(fleetness is a kind of speed)

'ships west of promontory' is the wordplay.
'ships' becomes 'fleet' (eg a naval fleet).
'west of' says to put letters next to each other.
'promontory' becomes 'ness' (both can mean a headland).
'fleet'+'ness'='FLEETNESS'

'of' is the link.

(Another definition for fleetness that I've seen is " Swiftness, speed".)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.