As designed, the ship had a full load displacement of 3,605 tons, a length overall of , a beam of , and a draught of . Starting in December 1991, "Canberra" was modified from the "Oliver Hazard Perry" FLIGHT II design to FLIGHT III, requiring a lengthening of the helicopter deck for the RAST helicopter recovery system, increasing displacement to 4,100 tons and pushing the overall length to . Propulsion machinery consists of two General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, which provide a combined to the single propeller shaft. Top speed is , with a range of at . Two electric auxiliary propulsors are used for close manoeuvring, with a top speed of . Standard ship's company is 184, including 15 officers, but excluding the flight crew for the embarked helicopters.