<P> The terms submarine and sub are widespread and not assignable to any certain region, though many of the localized terms are clustered in the northeastern United States . </P> <P> The Italian sandwich originated in several different Italian American communities in the Northeastern United States from the late 19th to mid-20th centuries . Portland, Maine claims to be the birthplace of the Italian sandwich and it is considered Maine's signature sandwich . The popularity of this Italian - American cuisine has grown from its origins in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island to most parts of the United States, Canada, and with the advent of chain restaurants, is now available in many parts of the world . </P> <P> The use of the term "submarine" or "sub" (after the resemblance of the roll to the shape of a submarine) is widespread . While some accounts source the name as originating in New London, Connecticut (site of the United States Navy's primary submarine base) during World War II, written advertisements from 1940 in Wilmington, Delaware indicate the term originated prior to the United States' entry into World War II . </P> <P> One theory says the submarine was brought to the U.S. by Dominic Conti (1874--1954), an Italian immigrant who came to New York in the early 1900s . He is said to have named it after seeing the recovered 1901 submarine called Fenian Ram in the Paterson Museum of New Jersey in 1928 . His granddaughter has stated the following: "My grandfather came to this country circa 1895 from Montella, Italy . Around 1910, he started his grocery store, called Dominic Conti's Grocery Store, on Mill Street in Paterson, New Jersey where he was selling the traditional Italian sandwiches . His sandwiches were made from a recipe he brought with him from Italy, which consisted of a long crust roll, filled with cold cuts, topped with lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, onions, oil, vinegar, Italian herbs and spices, salt, and pepper . The sandwich started with a layer of cheese and ended with a layer of cheese (this was so the bread wouldn't get soggy)." </P>

Where did the name sub sandwich come from