To me it seems you’re looking for a solution to a problem,
picking the only thing you find.
You’re not wrong, but ships are ships.
You’re barking up the wrong tree.
Hiding turrets makes no sense.
Phaserbanks? Sure!
Artillery? How?
Retracted, from inside the hull?
Besides, where would it end? Is it unreasonable to assume spies don’t share fleet fitings anyway? How would that be prevented? Is it worth the effort? Should it even be done?
I agree. In my time it was a skill to be able to guess the fitting of your opponent based on the ship.
Are you sure that your not-rant should be aimed at the ship’s outside?