Yeah, it looks like it was made to look more functional than a sodding smokestack backpack. It has exoskeleton supports for the cannon, sights, and even an ammo belt.
Why is this in "Mundane Made Awesome?" Pretty sure battles against Abyssals aren't mundane.
Mostly because there is only 1 I-class destroyer in 1-1. It's a player strategy to sparkle and improve moral of ships for other maps. Here, it's made more awesome.