Rocket, Practice. Air-to-Surface, 5 inch MK 39 MOD 0 HVAR, "Holy Moses"

Cylindrical, with four fixed rectangular clamp-on fins with rounded edges arranged in cruciform pattern. Ogival nose; with two suspension lugs. Overall, light blue, without markings on body; silver colored nose, with paint cracked just beneath nose, the crack showing rust underneath.

The 5-inch caliber HVAR (High Velocity Aircraft Rocket), also called the Holy Moses, was a very effective U.S. Navy air-to-surface rocket. It began service in World War II and continued in use until 1955. The HVAR was largely fired by Navy airplanes, such as the F4U Corsair, but the HVAR was first used by the Army Air Forces against German targets near Lo, France, in July 1944. About a million HVARs were manufactured and they were launched against both sea and land targets.

The loaded weight of the rocket was 61 kg (134 lb) including 11 kg (24 lb) of propellant and a 20 kg (45 lb) payload with 3.5 kg (7.8 lb) of high explosive. The velocity was 1530 km/h (950 mph), and the range was about 5 km (3 mi). This particular artifact was found in the Smithsonian collections.