With World War II raging in Europe, many naval vessels made St. John's a port of call. Captain E.R. Mainguy was the officer in charge of navy escort ships stationed in St. John's. With the assistance of Lady Dorothy Outerbridge, he was able to obtain space for a club where officers could visit when not on duty. Lady Outerbridge was able to find space on the fourth floor of a warehouse and obtained it for the rent of $1 per year, plus a peppercorn (which was never paid).
Between 1942 and 1945, the Seagoing Officer's Club, as it was known then, became famous around the North Atlantic as a place for naval men to go and relax from the horrors of war. It also became famous for the rickety fifty-nine steps leading up to the club. Getting up the stairs was no problem, but trying to come back down at the end of the evening proved to be a far more daunting task.
The club also served as a way for young men to leave a memento of themselves before heading out to sea. Soon after the club opened, handwritten messages were being left on the wall, floors, or wherever the men could find space. Eventually, Captain Mainguy, who was also in charge of the club, gave each vessel four square feet of wall space to decorate any way they wanted. Many of the crewmen decorated the wall space with the crests of their vessels—crests that remain in the club to this day. In many cases, these crests and other items serve as memorials and tributes to those sailors who did not survive.
Since the end of the war, the club has changed its name to the Crow's Nest. Management has laboured to keep the historic fourth floor bar area intact, and there’s now also a third floor that has a dining room.