The Royal Canadian Navy had intended to place a six ship order under the Mackenzie class of destroyer escorts; however, during the design phase, the last two vessels ordered were altered to the St. Laurent DDH design and were classed under the new Annapolis designation.

The ships measured 366 feet (112 m) in length, with a beam of 42 feet (13 m) and a draught of 13 feet 2 inches (4.01 m).
Initially, the ships displaced 2,400 tonnes (2,400 long tons) and had a complement of 228.

The ships were powered by two Babcock & Wilcox boilers connected to the two-shaft English-Electric geared steam turbines providing 30,000 shaft horsepower (22,000 kW).
This gave the ships a maximum speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph).

The ships were initially armed with two 3-inch (76 mm)/50 calibre dual-purpose guns mounted in a single turret forward.
The extra topweight of the helicopter required the return of the American Mk 33 3-inch gun over the heavier 3-inch/70 calibre guns used on the preceding class.
The 3-inch/50s weighed 1,760 pounds (800 kg) and fired a projectile that weighed 24 pounds (11 kg).
The guns had a muzzle velocity of 2,700 feet per second (820 m/s) and a range of 14,600 yards (13,400 m) at a 45° angle.
The guns could fire 45 – 50 rounds per minute with a lifespan of 2,050 rounds.
The guns were placed in a Mk 33 mount.
The mounting allowed the guns to elevate from −15° to 85°.
The elevation rate was 30° per second and train rate was 24° per second.
The mounts could train 360°.

For anti-submarine warfare, the ships were armed with a Mk 10 Limbo mortar.
The Limbo was a British-designed three-barrel mortar capable of launching a projectile shell between 400–1,000 yards (370–910 m).
Placed on stabilized mountings, the projectiles always entered the water at the same angle.
The total weight of the shell was 390 pounds (180 kg).
They also had a Mk.4 thrower with homing torpedoes.

Initially the ships were outfitted with one SPS-12 air search radar, one SPS-10B surface search radar, and one Sperry Mk.2 navigation radar.
For sensing below the surface, the class was given one SQS-501 high frequency bottom profiler sonar, one SQS-502 high frequency mortar control sonar, one SQS-503 hull mounted active search sonar and one SQS-504 VDS medium frequency active search sonar.
For fire control purposes they were given one Mk 60 GFCS fire control with SPG-48 tracker (GUNAR).

The two Annapolis-class destroyers were built late enough to incorporate the helicopter hangar retrofitted to the St. Laurent class and the "Beartrap" haul-down device.
This allowed the destroyer escorts to deploy with one CH-124 Sea King helicopter.
The Royal Canadian Navy had intended to place a six ship order under the Mackenzie class of destroyer escorts; however, during the design phase, the last two vessels ordered were altered to the St. Laurent DDH design and were classed under the new Annapolis designation.
The ships measured 366 feet (112 m) in length, with a beam of 42 feet (13 m) and a draught of 13 feet 2 inches (4.01 m). Initially, the ships displaced 2,400 tonnes (2,400 long tons) and had a complement of 228.
The ships were powered by two Babcock & Wilcox boilers connected to the two-shaft English-Electric geared steam turbines providing 30,000 shaft horsepower (22,000 kW). This gave the ships a maximum speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph).
The ships were initially armed with two 3-inch (76 mm)/50 calibre dual-purpose guns mounted in a single turret forward. The extra topweight of the helicopter required the return of the American Mk 33 3-inch gun over the heavier 3-inch/70 calibre guns used on the preceding class. The 3-inch/50s weighed 1,760 pounds (800 kg) and fired a projectile that weighed 24 pounds (11 kg). The guns had a muzzle velocity of 2,700 feet per second (820 m/s) and a range of 14,600 yards (13,400 m) at a 45° angle. The guns could fire 45 – 50 rounds per minute with a lifespan of 2,050 rounds. The guns were placed in a Mk 33 mount. The mounting allowed the guns to elevate from −15° to 85°. The elevation rate was 30° per second and train rate was 24° per second. The mounts could train 360°.
For anti-submarine warfare, the ships were armed with a Mk 10 Limbo mortar. The Limbo was a British-designed three-barrel mortar capable of launching a projectile shell between 400–1,000 yards (370–910 m). Placed on stabilized mountings, the projectiles always entered the water at the same angle. The total weight of the shell was 390 pounds (180 kg). They also had a Mk.4 thrower with homing torpedoes.
Initially the ships were outfitted with one SPS-12 air search radar, one SPS-10B surface search radar, and one Sperry Mk.2 navigation radar. For sensing below the surface, the class was given one SQS-501 high frequency bottom profiler sonar, one SQS-502 high frequency mortar control sonar, one SQS-503 hull mounted active search sonar and one SQS-504 VDS medium frequency active search sonar. For fire control purposes they were given one Mk 60 GFCS fire control with SPG-48 tracker (GUNAR).
The two Annapolis-class destroyers were built late enough to incorporate the helicopter hangar retrofitted to the St. Laurent class and the "Beartrap" haul-down device. This allowed the destroyer escorts to deploy with one CH-124 Sea King helicopter.
Annapolis-class destroyer