HMS Arcady by Hedge-sparrow

Puzzle explanation

The extra letters from across clues spelt “John Masefield, Cargoes”. The grid entries clued by wordplay were the Spanish GALLEON of Masefield’s poem and its entire cargo (in the upper half of the grid) and the British COASTER and its cargo (symmetrically opposite in the lower half). The letter jumbles in the down clues provided the cargo of the QUINQUEREME (written below the grid in the normal spelling, as in Chambers, not “quinquireme” as in the poem). The puzzle’s title cryptically represents “mad March days” from the poem’s 12th line.

The wordplay in 23dn uses “meer”, defined by “regional boundary”. Chambers currently cross-references “meer” to “mere1” (only), “mere2” (pool) and “mere3” (Maori war-club) but the last is an error that arose in the 2003 edition, when the entries for “mere3” (boundary) and “mere4” (war-club) were switched and the “meer” cross-reference was not updated.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra letters Answer Explanation
Thematic
  EMERALDS EM + ERA + LADS − A
  IRONWARE IRON + WAR + E
  DIAMONDS MAID < + ON + D + ’S
  TIN TRAYS RAY in TINTS
  CINNAMON CAMO around INN + N
  FIREWOOD E in (FIR + WOOD)
  AMETHYSTS A + METHYSIS with T for I
  ROAD-RAILS (SAD + O + R) * around RAIL
  TOPAZES PA in TOZES
  PIG LEAD PIG + LEAD
  TYNE COAL TYNE + COL around A
  MOIDORES MOOR-SIDE *
Across
6 (J)as JUDAS JUD + AS
11 co(O)l LORICA (COL AIR) *
13 Iris(H) IRID I + RID
14 Gra(N)d ELBA EL + BA
16 P(M) TOPOI P in TOO + I
20 r(A)n ARNA RN in AA
21 Fa(S)t RAFT (FAT + R) *
23 hol(E)d ARREAR A + R + REAR
24 pro(F) EFFORT EFT around FOR
26 pa(I)l MALATE AL(l) in MATE
27 slid(E) ISLAND SLID * around (A + N)
28 Fur(L)s PELTRY ELT in PRY
30 (D)over OJIBWA JIB after O + W + A
31 (C)ribbed REED homophone of READ
32 Indian(A) ANNA AN(a)NA
35 cu(R)t SNEER SNEE + R
38 (G)rate BAIT I in BAT
40 N(O) ALOE ALONE − N
43 Woo(E)d ASHRAM ASH + RA + M
44 (S)py PYLON PY + L + ON
Down
1 (pecks aco)rn →
PEACOCKS
ERNE EYRIE with RN for (YR + I)
2   TIN LOAF (IN FLOAT) *
3   YAMA (AM + AY) <
4 (When we tweet is i)t →
SWEET WHITE WINE
TON T + ON
5   SPIAL P in SIAL
7   UZI (S)UZI(e)
8   DERN E in (D + RN)
9   ASIDE AS + IDE
10   SUDS D in SUS
12   CITATION O(perations) in TITANIC *
15 F(or Ivy) → IVORY DAFTER F in TRADE *
17   GARDA DRAG < + A
18   NEAR LINEAR − LI
19 (A codeword) →
CEDARWOOD
PREPARED PRE-PARED
22   TEPEES T + ÉPÉE + S(camander)
23   AMEER MEER after A
25 (downloads a) →
SANDALWOOD
FLIC FLIC(k)
29   TANIWHA TAHA around WIN <
33   GILPY G(u)Y around LIP *
34   SAFER FEARS *
36   TAMP TAM + P
37   NOIL LION <
38   BRAD BAD around (finge)R
39 (seap)ort → APES TORI ORT * + I
41   EGO EG + O(ne)
42   FAO OAF <
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