Using the wreck location and the German observations of "Sydney" after the battle, a search box for the cruiser was calculated. "Sydney" was located just after 11:00 on 17 March, only hours after "Kormoran"s discovery was made public. Prime Minister Rudd announced the find a day later. "Sydney"s wreck was located at at below sea level: the bow of the cruiser had broken off as the ship sank, and was located at the opposite end of a debris field stretching north-west from the hull. The two wrecks were apart, with "Sydney" to the south-east. On discovery, both wrecks were placed under the protection of the "Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976". The wrecks were added to the Australian National Heritage List on 14 March 2011.