A skeleton of a killer whale has been suspended in mid-air ahead of an upcoming underwater-themed attraction.

The collection of bones, weighing 200kg, travelled more than 300 miles from the National Maritime Museum in Cornwall to The Historic Dockyard Chatham.

Four team members used ropes to lift and move the mammal – weighing the same as an upright piano – into place.

It is part of the Monsters of the Deep exhibition, which has been curated by the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, with the National Oceanography Centre’s Discovery Collections.

The event promises to breathe life into the supernatural and show how the fantastical co-exists with science and will show more about what lives down in the depths of the oceans.

Visitors will be able to explore centuries-old myths and legends of mermaids, tales of deep-sea creatures, as well as looking into the fake news stories that proliferate today.

The real monsters of the deep – housed in tall "bubbling" glass tubes containing specimens – will change the way people view sea "monsters", say organisers.

Prior to the opening, the team has been busy transporting giant artefacts from 300 miles away in Falmouth to the No.1 Smithery at the museum, a journey of five-and-a-half hours.

The move has involved relocating a mermaid, a giant coelacanth, a scale-model of Boaty McBoatface, the orca whale skeleton and the rare Discovery Collections specimens – real-life monsters from deep-sea exploration, which have only been seen once before by the general public.

Nick Ball, collections, galleries and interpretation manager at the dockyard, said: “It’s always exciting when we get to hang the artefacts and literally build an exhibition from the ground up, but this particular showcase is also demanding, complicated, intriguing and heavy.

“We have asked our social media followers to caption the lifting of the giant orca whale into place and are offering a family pass for a year to our winning caption.

"Dr Tammy Horton, co-creator of the exhibition, will be judging.”

Email your creative caption ideas via info@chdt.org.uk, deadline is this Wednesday, March 29 and the winner will be announced in April.

Monsters of the Deep will be open from Saturday, April 1 until Sunday, November 19.

Admission to the exhibition is free as part of an entry ticket to The Historic Dockyard Chatham.