It probably comes down to a difference in designation between the US and Italy/Germany, not necessarily an exaggeration of the size of the ship. When someone says "torpedo boat," while correct, they inevitably picture something similar to the relatively small (80 foot, 56 tons fully loaded) wooden torpedo boats operated by the US Navy in WW2 and popularized by JFK's PT-109.
OTOH, when someone says "sank a destroyer" one thinks of a ship that was comparable to other then-modern destroyers, or at least serving a similar role, which the Italian torpedo boats were certainly not.
I agree the distinction between a seagoing torpedo vessel -- which died out early in English-speaking navies -- and a coastal torpedo boat can be problematic. Many writers specify "PT boat," "E-boat" etc. But calling a vessel a destroyer when no contemporary navy, allied or enemy, considered it to be one is misleading.
In reality, the Italian
Ariete Class Torpedo Boat Auriga (which after being captured became Torpedoboot Ausland-27 or TA-27 in German service) was 273 feet 11 inches long and 1,100 tons fully loaded. Compare that to some of the older and smaller
contemporary American destroyers and it's right in the same size range and performs many of the same duties, which may be why it was identified and credited as a destroyer by the USAAF.
A lot had changed in 20 years, and WW1-era destroyers were nowhere near as capable and versatile as 1930s and later destroyers had become, and were not considered adequate for filling destroyer roles in a modern fleet. In US Navy reports similar Japanese vessels are often specified as "old destroyers" if not as "escorts," which was their normal role. But that's beside the point, as the vessel in question was not considered a destroyer (
Zerstörer) by the Germans or the Italians (
cacciatorpediniere or"torpedo boat hunter").
As to credit, my books are Pacific and navy-heavy and there was no JANAC for the Atlantic/Mediterranean, so I'm going by web searches, but I can't find how it was officially credited. I'm not even sure it was
TA-27, since the 332nd FG claim is usually specified as near Trieste, but
this source, cited in the Wikipedia article, says she was sunk near Portoferraio, on the other side of Italy.
This is to take nothing away from the airmen in question; sinking a 1000 ton vessel with .50 machine gun fire is quite an accomplishment. But being specific about what the vessel was doesn't hurt anything, IMO.
--Justin
Can't do 'em for real anymore these days...
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