About me
A native of Virginia, Meghan Rathbun was educated in Scotland and holds a Master of Arts in Medieval History and Master of Letters in Medieval History from the University of St Andrews and a Master of Science in Museum Studies from the University of Glasgow.
Prior to joining NHHC she served as the Executive Director of Battleship Cove, where she oversaw multiple capital projects and rebuilt the organization post-Covid. At Battleship Cove she oversaw the restoration and preservation of the battleship Massachusetts, destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy, submarine Lionfish, USNS Hiddensee, PT-Boats 617, 796, and 50, an LCM, two Vietnam War-era helicopters, and the Fall River Maritime Museum. The capstone of her time at Battleship Cove was the $1.5 million hull restoration project aboard the battleship Massachusetts, which was the first major preservation project undertaken aboard the battleship since her was dry-docking in 1999.
She began her tenure in historic ships as a tour guide and curatorial assistant on the USS Wisconsin, later becoming the curator for the USS Missouri, one of Hawaii's top tourist attractions. There she spearheaded elements of Missouri's educational programing, exhibits, and restoration and interpretation efforts. Her work creating a climate-controlled collections and archival storage facility won the first annual Naval History and Heritage Command Curatorial Excellence Award.
