Indeed, vessels are still required to carry ALDIS lamps with 3 spare bulbs and portable battery power. Something PSCs look for quite often.

Hi Pieter. Manfrad picked it up correctly. The ship's name had no effect on the "call signs". In my days at sea, the call signs were used for radio purposes only. For many ports (in the days when VHF was not common) we still had to register our arrival by sending our ship's name to the shore station by Morse Code on an Aldis lamp (do ships still carry them these days, I wonder?). We also often practiced by calling up passing ships at night & exchange names, destinations etc. Like Manfred, I would probably given up if this one called me!

Perhaps I should have used a smiley.....Manfred, I hope you were not on board of the Fliegerkosmonaut etc etc etc.

Vessels in the Norwegian NIS-register also have 5 digits in the call sign. The last one is a number

UK and Irish ships have 5 digits in the call sign

In the dark age long before AIS we used to "talk" to passing ships by Aldis lamp. It always went by the ships name.
Luckily I never met this one, wouldn`t have responded anyway.
Rgds, Manfred

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1019423

As far as I know, no. Call sign has 4 letters. I was on a ship that had 13 letter in its name but still just 4 letters in its call sign.

Jackosan, would the length of the name affect her Call Sign too?

Imagine having to send the ship name by Aldiss lamp!