Mearns' plan was to determine a 'search box' for "Kormoran" by plotting the possible starting points of the two rafts from the raider through a reverse drift analysis. This search box (calculated to be in size) would then be inspected over several days with a side-scan sonar towed by "Geosounder". Mearns focused on finding "Kormoran" first: the German wreck's approximate location could be predicted, and while the same was not true for "Sydney", there was a wealth of information indicating her position relative to "Kormoran". After locating one or both vessels, "Geosounder" would return to port and embark a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to film the wrecks. "Geosounder" reached the south-east corner of the search box just before midnight on 4 March, but the early days of the search were hampered by recurring faults with the sonar and the effects of Tropical Cyclone Ophelia. "Kormoran" was located during the afternoon of 12 March: the ship had been torn apart by the mine deck detonation, with two large pieces sitting below sea level and apart, with an oval-shaped debris field between them, centred at . The raider's discovery was announced by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on the morning of 17 March.