Italian version: A king-sized sandwich on a foot-long loaf of (artisan and/or flavored) bread filled with boiled ham, hard salami (genoa, is my personal preference), cheeses (shaved slivers of Parmesan or Asiago or even a good Mozzarella), lettuce, tomatoes, onions (red are great!), a light brush stroke or drizzle of olive oil and sometimes, the added flavors of garlic and oregano or basil.
American version: The meats here are traditionally turkey or roast beef, with American and/or Swiss cheese, garden vegetables in hearty slices or pulls (lettuce, tomato) and condiments (mayonnaise, mustard) rather than oils or herbs.
Sicilian version: Toasted bread (similar to focaccia, split and filled with fresh ricotta cheese, anchovies, oregano, basil and extra virgin olive oil.
THEN: Signore Dominic Conti's version - his sandwiches were made from a recipe he brought with him from Montella, Italy, to Patterson, New Jersey, which consisted of a long crust roll, filled with cold cuts, topped with lettuce, tomatoes, pepperoncini peppers, onions, oil, vinegar, Italian spices, salt, and pepper. The sandwich started with a layer of cheese, was alternated with ingredients and ended with a layer of cheese (so the bread wouldn’t get soggy). Mr. Conti's granddaughter has stated that he claims to have named his version the "submarine" after visiting the Holland I submarine on display in 1927 in Westside Park.
ANOTHER THEN: Others claim the first submarine sandwich was served a year earlier in 1926 in New London, Connecticut, where World War II soldiers from the nearby submarine base in Groton, Connecticut, ate them by the thousands: "During World War II, the commissary of the United States Navy's submarine base in Groton, Connecticut, ordered five hundred hero sandwiches a day from Benedetto Capaldo's Italian deli in New London, where the name 'sub' was soon applied to the item."
---America Eats Out, John Mariani [Morrow:New York] 1991 (p. 114-5)
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