As was the custom then fishing crews used had their families on board on deep sea trips. I remember an American sailor descibing the screams of the children as machine guns tore though their vessel. It was totally unnessary, the boats did not have radio but because of them the B25s were launched far too early which caused all the range problems.
Such is war.
I find that extremely hard to believe, as there is a film of the sinking of the vessel involved and it was sunk by heavy gun fire from the escort vessels. No one would have been close enough to hear anything.
Radio or no radio, they group could not take the chance of being discovered and take the chance of losing one of the last two carriers left in the Pacific at the time.