A British design, the "Bangor"-class minesweepers were smaller than the preceding s in British service, but larger than the in Canadian service. They came in two versions powered by different engines; those with a diesel engines and those with vertical triple-expansion steam engines. "Red Deer" was of the latter design and was larger than her diesel-engined cousins. "Red Deer" was long overall, had a beam of and a draught of . The minesweeper had a displacement of . She had a complement of 6 officers and 77 enlisted.