[2] Rodney was put in command of an expeditionary force with the aim to capture the Dutch colony of Sint Eustatius in the Caribbean.

Rodney was already in the Americas as part of his service against the American rebels, and was ordered to sail into the Caribbean, as the Dutch controlled several territories there.

He immediately dispatched two ships of the line, along with a frigate, under the command of Captain Francis Reynolds-Moreton, 3rd Baron Ducie in pursuit of them.

The Panther had participated in the successful expedition against Spanish-held Havana in 1762 during the Seven Years' War, and had captured a treasure-laden Spanish galleon.

Despite the obvious inferiority in the strength of the two forces, Krull ordered his men to run out the guns and respond to the sporadic cannon fire coming from the British ships.

The combined pounding went on for thirty minutes with furious fire coming from both sides, the Mars refusing to surrender and bravely fighting on against the overwhelming British force, trying to give his merchant ships the time to escape back to the Dutch Republic.

After the battle had gone on for half an hour, Krull suffered a fatal injury and with his dying breath summoned his captain, and ordered him to strike the colours of the ship and surrender to the British.

With the action concluded, Reynolds-Moreton ordered his ships to sail back to Sint-Eustatius, all thirty-one prizes safely in tow.

The body of Willem Krull, preserved during the voyage back to Sint-Eustatius, was buried in a local cemetery with full military honors, in recognition of his valiant conduct during the action.

She sailed to Britain with prizes from St Eustatius, survived the battle with the French escadre of Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte.

Ultimately, the war ended disastrously for the Dutch and exposed the weakness of the political and economic foundations of the republic, setting the stage for further turmoil.