I suspect that the social background was necessary for the kind of story Feintuch wanted to write. According to the cover blurb, he's a student of Napoleonic-era British naval history. It was plainly Feintuch's desire to write a story with a setting as close as possible to that era. The socio-religious background is more than just a stage setting, however. Faith in God and an absolute devotion to duty are integral to setting up the motivations and conflicts of the major characters, particularly Midshipman Nicholas Seafort.
Minor spoilers follow.
You have been warned. I was soon surprised, however, by the complexity of Seafort's character, and by some surprising plot twists. Seafort is anything but an archetypal SF space opera hero. While those around him see Seafort as a hero, to himself he is an abject failure, and he cannot believe that everyone doesn't see him for the fraud he thinks himself to be. In the second book, things turn considerably darker than the first.