Six Lockheed Hudson aircraft from No. 14 Squadron RAAF, based at RAAF Base Pearce, began to search for the ship on the morning of 24 November. When it was learned that the "Zealandia" handover occurred on schedule, air searches commenced in the Java Sea. The first news relating to the engagement between "Sydney" and "Kormoran" was received by the Australian Naval Board during the afternoon of 24 November; the British tanker "Trocas" reported that she had rescued a raft at 15:00 carrying 25 German naval personnel (one having perished) at . After further communication with "Trocas", the Naval Board learned that the sailors had come from the raider "Kormoran", which had participated in a mutually destructive engagement with an unspecified ship, which the Naval Board assumed was "Sydney".